Thursday, July 11, 2013

SOMETIMES I GET ASKED STUFF PART 3

Art: Darwyn Cooke

One of the best parts of being a writer is the interesting people you get to meet. For some reason, many of them ask me questions. I thought it would be interesting to share some of the questions I get asked and the answers, naturally. Some of these are questions asked to me directly, some come from social media, and others are asked to a group of writers. Regardless of where they come from, here’s a few of the latest.
Check out Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Q: Do you think comics will ever truly go away?

Art: James Burns

I love comic books. I love reading them. I love creating them. I get this question a lot. The short answer is, no. I don't think so. The longer answer: the format may change, but comic book storytelling will continue, whether in trades, straight to graphic novel, straight to the tablet, or as a web comic, comic book storytelling will continue. I hope to be a part of it.

Q: When starting to write a new book, do you always know how it will end? Or do you only know the basic direction a story will go and let the characters tell you where it will end?

It depends. Sometimes I do know the end when I start and sometimes I don’t. I usually have an idea where it’s going though. Plus, there are those rare, wonderful times when the characters will inform the story as it goes along and causes the ending to change. I love it when that happens.

Q: What was the last bad decision the protagonist in your current story made?

He picked the wrong pocket.

Q: What would be your dream artist for your novel properties done as comics?

Good question. I'll give it a whirl.

Evil Ways would need that real world feel, but also a spooky dark horror feel with lots of shadows. George Perez, Jerry Ordway, Steve Epting, or Sean Phillips would be aces on that. Possibly, Neal Adams as well.

Art: Steve Epting

Deadly Games! is also set in the real world, but more like an action movie. George Perez (he will probably top the list for each of these), Leonard Kirk, Art Adams, or Mike Grell would do well here, I think.

Earthstrike Agenda is a sci fi thriller. George Perez, John Byrne, Sean Chen, or Paul Gulacy are perfect for this.

Samaritan actual began its life as a comic script. There are actually a couple pages in a box somewhere pencilled by me that were to be inked by Jeff Austin. This is the type of story the late Al Williamson would have been perfect for, I think. George Perez, Sean Murphy, Rob Davis, Chrissie Zullo, Art Adams, or Gordon Purcell would do well here.

Art: Francesco Francavilla

Lance Star: Sky Ranger would have been perfect for the late Joe Kubert. George Perez, John Byrne, Darwyn Cooke, Francesco Francavilla, Mike Kaluta, or Jerry Ordway would be perfect for this type of character. I was lucky enough to see Lance Star comics drawn by James Burns, Rock Baker, and Jeff Austin.

The Ruby Files already has Mark Wheatley, Rob Moran, and Nik Powliko, but I think George Perez, Steve Epting, Francesco Francavilla, or Darwyn Cooke would be great choices for a Rick Ruby story. Theses guys get that pulpy atmosphere.

Q: What's it like living the dream?

Art: George Perez

I’ll let you know when it happens. HA! HA! HA!

I do love what I do and I suppose you could say that I do indeed live the dream as I write full time right now. That said-- as much as I love writing for a living, I’m not there yet, it’s not quite making me a living. I believe that “living the dream” is probably different for each of us. To me, living the dream would be making a modest living or better from writing. As I said, I’m not there yet and still have a ways to go. It all comes down to your goals as a writer (or artist, actor, etc…). What is success to you?

I have goals. If an when I meet them I set new goals to keep pushing myself onward and hopefully upward. For years I longed for the day I could call myself a published author. After that happened, I set a goal to one day have publishers invite me to projects instead of always having to pitch things. Eventually, with a lot of hard work, that happened. I’d always wondered, wouldn’t it be nice to win some writing awards? This year, I was able to answer that question. Yes, it does feel great, in case you were wondering. What are some of my future goals? The biggie is to one day be referred to as “New York Times Best Selling Author Bobby Nash”. I think that would be a great feeling. Still working toward that one. Another is to get my novel series off the ground. I’m steadily working my way toward that goal. Another goal is to write more screenplays, which is happening as well. And, let us not forget, the goal of making a living is still out there as well.

Art: John Byrne

I just have to keep chasing that dream.

Q: What's the title of your work-in-progress?

I’m working on Fight Card: Barefoot Bones for the Fight Card Books line and I’m almost finished with that. I have other projects in various stages, but can’t really say much about them yet. One is a media tie-in project, the other is a series of short stories, and a novel. On deck after that is Domino Lady/Honey West for Moonstone Books, Evil Intent for BEN Books, and three screenplays for three different producers. Sometime between now and December I plan to sleep at least once.

'nuff said.

Q: Can I send comics to you to get signed?

Yes. I would love to sign your books for you. Mail them to me at the address below along with sufficient postage to mail them back to you (that part is pretty important if you want to get them back) and I will happily sign your comic book, novel, graphic novel, or whatever else you have that I worked on.

Bobby Nash

PO Box 626
Bethlehem, GA 30620

Q: Can I buy signed books directly from you?

Yes. Yes you can. At the moment Evil Ways, Deadly Games!, Earthstrike Agenda, and Frontier are available. Just click on the “Buy Now” tag under the description of the book in the tabs above or at http://BEN-Books.blogspot.com. I will add more books to this soon. I have to do it around deadlines. If there’s a book of mine you really want from me, let me know at bobby@bobbynash.com and that one will move to the top of my list.